The newspaper photo of a man getting his face bashed in by the ruthless glove of Jim Braddock opens the film, as it smoothly transitions into real life.  The scene shows Jim’s youthful arrogance, as he knocks out the opponent.  His attitude resembles the lifestyle of the 1920s, which also was coined the roaring 20s.  It was a time after the First World War and prohibition was in full effect, as the underworld capitalized on smuggling booze.  People sought a fortune behind every corner to live life with happiness and joy.  However, this joyful time was about to come to an end with the crash on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929.  Instead of displaying a historical montage of how people lost everything Ron Howard simply shoots an extraordinary panning shot of Jim and his wife's, Mae (Renée Zellweger), nightstand.  The camera pans to the left showing jewels and other extravagant accessories that eventually fade out and moves forward in time showing them living in a shabby room of a basement.

The Great Depression seems to have affected everyone including Jim and Mae that now face poverty and continuous financial difficulty.  They do not have enough to feed their children and find themselves getting into debt as they try to find a way to make a living.  Jim's career as a boxer has also taken a turn downhill, as he no longer fights with the confidence he once had.  He also has a broken hand with which he enters the ring to provide his worst performance ever as a boxer, which ultimately leads the boxing federation to revoke his boxing license.  If this would not be enough, Jim's wrist is severely broken and their financial situation is getting worse.

Despite the hardships Jim continues to breath, as if he had everything.  When one of his sons steals a salami from a butcher he lectures to him why they do not steal, but Jim also learns that his son is afraid of being sent away from his family due to the poverty to which Jim promises to never send any one of his children away.  However, the Braddock family's life continues to get worse, as they lose electricity and heat due to unpaid bills. It all begins to snowball and get out of Jim's control, which forces him to go on welfare.  Jim learns several life lessons that eventually will come of use, as he gets a one-time deal to box the number one contender for the title with one day's notice from his friend and old manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), who again provides a brilliant performance.  To everyone's amazement Jim comes out victorious from the fight, which leads to another fight and maybe another fight after that.

Ron Howard's film shows the good side of a person, at times a little too good, but it is still convincing.  This is much due to the excellent performance by Russell Crowe who makes his second film with Howard since A Beautiful Mind (2001).  Crowe's character becomes the essence of bravery and perseverance, as he must overcome the odds of doing something most would consider impossible.  But it is also within this impossibility where the ordinary people in the film can find hope and dreams of something better after having endured years of poverty due to the aftermath of the Great Depression.  It is obvious that Howard is comfortable in creating films about hope and positive resolve, which always offers something good to ponder and reflect upon.

Cinderella Man illustrates issues such as gender roles, perseverance, personal struggle, and self-improvement among many other issues in a time of extreme difficulty.  Yet, Howard does not create a truly unique story, as several boxing films have been made in the past that deal with the similar issues such as Rocky (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Hurricane (1999), Girlfight (2000), and Million Dollar Baby (2004).  Despite the likeness of other films Cinderella Man offers hope and another reason for people to keep their hopes up even when things seem to be depressing and impossible.  Thus, it is still a great film, which should not be missed, as it offers a truly excellent cinematic experience.

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COUNTRY

USA

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